Review: The Raging Storm

 Book: The Raging Storm

Series:  Two Rivers #3

Author: Ann Cleves

Release Date: Sept 5, 2023

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley.

               I have read various novels in the Shetland series and in the Vera series.  And while I love Vera, I have to admit a good portion of that love is because I came to the series via Brenda Blethyn’s role in the adaptation.  Yet, I have to say I like the Venn novels – the Two Rivers series -  the best.  It could be because they are the ones that I have read all off and in order, but it’s more than that.  Venn is at once more open and more closed off than the others.  He is assured in terms of his job, but he is more unsure, and more honest about that unsureness, than Vera or Perez.  It could also be that I just like the supporting cast far more.

               In this entry in the series, Venn, Ross, and Jenn (my fave) travel to a small port town to solve the murder of a famous boatsman.  Of course, what unravels are long kept town secrets and rivalries.

               It’s a good read.  In particular because of how well drawn Matthew, Ross, and Jenn are.  Too often when two characters are at logger heads; it becomes quite clear that one of them is better than the other.  That really isn’t the case with Ross and Jenn.  You may not like Ross all that much – I don’t – but he isn’t a bad guy.  He doesn’t sell out Venn or Jenn, and because Cleves allows the reader into Ross’ though processes, we can see that he wants Venn’s approval, most likely more than Venn knows.  He also does love his wife.  Why this isn’t Ross’s book per se, he does exhibit some growth – there is a scene where someone thinks of something that Ross would do, and as a reader we nod our head, but then Ross doesn’t seem to do it – it was a good touch.  The important thing is that Venn is aware of Ross’ favorite status with Venn’s superior, Ross is a good bloke and deserves to be where he is.

               Jenn too is a delight, and she, like Venn, deals with ghosts from her past – in this case a development in the life of her ex-husband.  Like Venn, this case connects to former stomping grounds and places long remembered.  Jenn’s reaction to her husband’s news is realistic as are her thoughts about it over the course of the novel.  I also love the fact that Jenn has a close female friend who is there for her.  Unlike some books, Jenn does not exist in an all-male vacuum where she is the sole woman who can do anything.  She doesn’t have to prove herself as much to the reader, and she is given far more introspection than Ross, but her challenges are ones that women do face.  What is important here is that Cleves handles that in a very real way.  There is acknowledgment on Jenn’s part is that sometimes some thoughts are irrational, but they still hurt.  It’s nice to see a character struggling with that truth that we all struggle with.

               Venn, as always, is center stage and here too we get more conflict between his world with Jonathan and his work world.  Jonathan, as well, gets some development by the end of the book, though he seems far more absent than in the first two novels.  Venn’s conflict about his then and his now  is still present.  Venn’s unsureness allows him to connect with most of those he questions. He doesn’t have Vera’s folksy clueless façade; there is something far more honest about him.  With Venn, you always have a sympathetic ear.

               The supporting characters are well drawn and even offer a surprise or two to our heroes.  The question of fame and how one feels about is addressed more than once as does the idea of class and money.  You can actually see the action, feel the coldness of the town in the storm as well. There is a bit more physical action in this volume (ideally, it seems this book leads itself more readily to be filmed than the first). 

               A good fun read.